Ureshii Kekka to Akarui Mirai
by Thirrin73
Summary: The grand essential of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. Something to do? Live again. Something to hope for? A bright future. Something to love? Now, I wonder who that could be. /SasoriSakura/


**::**

_Hi and welcome to _**Ureshii** **Kekka to Akarui Mirai**_, the 'sequel' to _**Roze** **Tsubomi** **ken** **Ongaku** **kou**_! I have had quite a few people (as well as my friends from school) pestering me to do a sequel for _**Roze** **Tsubomi** **ken** **Ongaku** **kou**_ (my oneshot entry for Vesper chan's July Sakura-Oneshot Contest of last year) so I started thinking about what I could do for the sequel. I decided to do the oneshot all over again but in Sasori's point of view. I sincerely hope you all enjoy this oneshot!_

_If you're a little confused just read _**Roze** **Tsubomi** **ken** **Ongaku** **kou**_. It will clear a bit up for you guys. Unless you've already read it...then thanks! But I'm pretty sure that you can read this and not be confused, but I wouldnt mind it if you read _**Roze** **Tsubomi** **ken** **Ongaku** **kou **_:)_

_Oh, and just a little heads up, this is going to be an extremely long oneshot...possibly :D And when you guys see the _( **:: **) _symbol, it basically means a time-skip. It's going to be a little fast paced in some parts and slower in others, so I hope it isn't that confusing :)_

_Here's a little basic info for you guys..._

**::**

Full Summary: The grand essential of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. Something to do? Live again. Something to hope for? A bright future. Something to love? Now, I wonder who that could be. **[SasoSaku]**

Pairings: Sasori/Sakura

Genre: Romance and little tidbits of Humor splashed here and there ('cause I cant help myself)

Disclaimer: All rights reserved. _Naruto_ and it's characters belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This plot, and all OCs used, belong to me :)

Warning: OOCness, quite a few OCs, some foul language, timeskips, and possible lengthyness.

Dedication: Everyone who reviewed **Roze** **Tsubomi** **ken** **Ongaku** **kou**

_Here we go..._

**::**

_The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.  
_

**Allan K. Chalmers**

**::**

What was this feeling?

'_Bah-bump'_

It was a heavy pressure in his chest.

'_Bah-bump'_

It was uncomfortable, but not painful.

'_Bah-bump'_

What was that sound?

'_Bah-bump'_

It filled his ears; it was deafening and wouldn't stop.

'_Bah-bump'_

He felt heat on his face.

'_Bah-bump'_

The glare of sunlight was dimmed by his eyelids.

'_Bah-bump'_

His finger's twitched and felt the rough texture of rocks and dirt.

'_Bah-bump'_

His back ached.

'_Bah-bump'_

His throat burned.

'_Bah-bump'_

His head throbbed.

'_Bah-bump'_

He could hear the sounds of animals and water.

'_Bah-bump, bah-bump'_

What was going on?

'_Bah-bump, bah-bump'_

Where was he?

'_Bah-bump, bah-bump'_

_Who_ was he?

'_Bah-bump, bah-bump'_

The sound was getting louder and faster.

'_Bah-bump, bah-bump, bah-bump'_

It all felt so familiar, but he couldn't remember why.

'_Bah-bump, bah-bump, bah-bump'_

He needed to find out what was going on.

'_Bah-bump, bah-bump'_

Or maybe he should just lay there and it would all go away...

'_Bah-bump'_

He felt a sudden twinge of pain in the middle of his forehead, as if someone had just flicked him.

'_Bah-bump, bah-bump'_

No, he had to know what was happening.

'_Bah-bump, bah-bump, bah-bump'_

His eyelids flickered open and he was instantly greeted with bright light. His eyes clenched shut once more to protect them from the blinding light. A cloud rolled over the sun, giving his burning face relief and allowing his eyes to reopen. Blue sky and white clouds entered his vision.

He slowly rose until he was in a sitting position. His eyes roved over the scene of destruction and debris all around him.

Where was he?

He felt like he should know this strange place, yet he couldn't.

There were broken wooden-creatures dressed in ripped, blood-red cloaks and snow-white cloaks along with scattered weapons everywhere. Something nagged at him in the back of his mind.

He realized that he was in a cave, but the ceiling had collapsed leaving the cavern's contents open to the elements. The wooden _things _looked rotted, as if they had been laying there for a long time.

_Where was he?_

His eyes landed on two of the wooden creatures. These two were different than the others; they had black cloaks rather than red or white. They were laying face down in the middle of a strange diagram etched onto the stone floor. Bloody swords were lying next to them. It looked as if something had been previously wedged between them, but the area was now empty. He took in the left one's long brown hair and the right's short, shaggy, rusty-red hair. On its own accord, his hand traveled up to his head and touched the extremely soft wisps of hair upon his head. With a glance, he realized that his hair was only a shade or two lighter than the right's own locks.

His eyes widen.

"_Mother...Father..."_

It all comes rushing back to him. He screams in agony and clutches his head as he remembers _everything_. Images flit across his mind's eye. Some linger for a few seconds before they quickly zip away.

_He sees a younger version of himself and his two, very alive, parents._

_His parents leave on a mission and Chiyo-obāsan takes their place._

_Chiyo-obāsan teaches him the Puppet Master Jutsu._

_He is told that his parents are dead and his world crashes down around him._

_He makes replicas of his parents._

_He leaves Sunagakure, his home._

_He defeats the Third Kazekage and turns him into a puppet._

_He joins the Akatsuki. _

_He is partnered with a pale-faced, black-haired, snake-like man called Orochimaru._

_Orochimaru leaves the Akatsuki._

_A young, blonde-haired man by the name of Deidara takes his place._

_They argue over their clashing views on art._

_They travel back to Suna_

_Deidara defeats the Ichibi's jinjuriki: the Fifth Kazekage._

_They leave Suna with the unconscious Kazekage._

_He battles and defeats a young puppeteer using _his _hand me down puppets._

_They extract the Shukaku._

_The former jinchuriki falls, lifeless, to the ground and they are told to wait and capture the Kyuubi's container._

_The boulder blocking the entry way is suddenly destroyed._

_He sees Chiyo-obāsan._

_The Kyuubi's jinchuriki yells and tells them to _"Give back Gaara."

_Deidara leaves the cavern with the jinchuriki's body, luring the Kyuubi's container away._

_The silver-haired man follows._

_Chiyo-obāsan and a pink-haired girl are the only ones left._

_The battle begins._

The images slow down until they are only a small trickle of memories.

Even after the images finally stop his mind is still reeling. He now has his answers though.

He is Akasuna no Sasori.

He is the Puppet Master of Sunagakure, the village hidden in the sand.

He is in the cave where he had fought his grandmother and a strange yet powerful kunoichi from Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves.

He is in the place where he had died.

Then why was he alive?

Maybe the gods had turned a favored eye on his poor soul and allowed him to live once more?

Maybe some powerful stranger had taken pity on him and returned him to the land of the living?

Maybe it was destiny?

Maybe it was a coincidence?

He felt the sharp twang of pain he had felt earlier on his forehead again.

Maybe he was just one lucky fucker who shouldn't take his second chance at life for granted and should just see the error of his ways and redeem himself.

Sasori smirked to himself and stood up. He felt the unmistakable feeling of light-headedness from the sudden movement. His legs shook and buckled under him.

"Shit. That hurt."

He realized with satisfaction that he could speak. Yet his throat was very dry, so his voice was extremely raspy. And something would have to be done about the weak state of his legs, they were throbbing from the effort of just trying to stand up. Wait...

With a tentative hand, Sasori reached up and touched his face. His eyes widen and he grabs his arm. Then his leg. His chest. His face again. _Everything._

He was no longer made of wood.

No longer a puppet.

He was...alive.

Sasori kneeled there in amazement for a few minutes. When the initial shock wore off, he looked around him once more. He begrudgedly noted that all of his previous 298 puppets were destroyed.

"_I guess I'll have to start my collection all over again." _He thought with a smirk. He felt the pain of being flicked on his forehead shortly after this thought.

"_Or maybe I'll just make some good, old-fashioned, wooden puppets instead." _He quickly added. The pain left him and he sighed. The red-head felt like a puppy being trained. He sighed again and decided to try and give standing another go. Sasori slowly rose and stood on wobbly legs. He tried to take a step and nearly fell. Taking baby steps, he inched his way around the cave, trying to avoid tripping on one of the many puppets and weapons.

After a few minutes he was able to walk with no problems. His training returned to him and he was quickly back to his former glory.

"Now, let's try something else."

He picked one of the puppets around him and focused all of his attention on it. His hand rose and blue tendrils of chakra shot out and attached to the purple-haired puppet. With calculated twitches of his finger, the puppet stood up and approached him. The movement caused one of the arms to fall off of the already damaged puppet. Sasori slowly assessed the damage while in the back of his mind he gave himself a celebratory pat on the back for being able to successfully perform his Puppet Master Jutsu so quickly.

There was a large dent in the side of the puppets face, an eye was missing, one of the legs was barely attached by a piece of splintered wood and wire, and its only remaining arm was completely useless.

That girl with the inhuman strength had obviously been the one who destroyed this puppet.

Something inside of Sasori fluttered at the thought of the pink-haired kunoichi. This unexpected feeling was alien to him, but suddenly his head was filled with thoughts of the pinkette.

Her emotions had shined in her eyes during their battle, a strange thing due to the fact that shinobi regard emotions as weakness and never dare show them on the battlefield. The memory of her physique entered his head next. She had the traditional kunochi body: slim and lean, but she had been a bit on the petite side. He appreciated this memory but he realized that the feature he liked the most had not been her figure, her obvious loveliness, her tremendous strength, her intellect capacity (he specifically remembered how she had been able to quickly decipher his finger patterns and use this knowledge to her advantage), her strangly-colored hair, or even her apparent medical talent. What had really captured his attention had been her eyes. They had been like emerald fire. Everything she had thought and felt had burned in her beautiful orbs. Her determination. Her fear. Her surprise. Stubbornness, love, anger, triumph, pain, _everything_. The things you could never in a million years add to a lifeless puppet, even _if_ it had once had those attributes.

Why couldn't he get her out of his head now? Why did just one little thought of the pink-haired kunoichi lead to a full-fledged evaluation of their encounter? Why did his newly revived heart clench at the memory of the girl who had helped kill him? What had been her name? He remembered Chiyo-obāsan exclaiming it enough times, so what was it? It had been a flower of some sort. Sasori racked his brain until he finally remembered.

"Sakura."

He savored the way her name rolled off his tongue. Oh yes, he'd have to visit her sometime. Sometime soon.

A question occurred to him suddenly. How long had he been dead? He glanced at the purple-haired puppet his chakra strings were still attached to. By the condition of the rotted wood he estimated about two years.

Sasori grimaced _Sakura_ probably wouldn't even remember him. All the better reason to visit her.

The flicking sensation from before returned. Only this time it was a bit softer and almost unsure. As if it was asking _"And just what do you plan on doing when you see her?"_

"_I wont be turning _Sakura_ into a puppet if that's what you're wondering." _He mentally snapped, but then felt silly for reprimanding an imaginary individual. The pain was there again though, almost angrily digging into his forehead. Sasori sighed.

"Really, I won't turn her into a puppet. Someone like her only comes around one in a lifetime," he paused here, noting the fact that he had already lived once, but continued. "So stealing away her life and emotions will only ruin her. No, I could never turn her into a puppet." The pain left him and Sasori looked around him once more. His eyes landed on his parent's replicas again and Chiyo-obāsan appeared in his mind.

Why had he purposefully left himself open to his grandmother's final and fatal attack? He had known what she had planned. He had seen through her trap. He could have easily avoided it. And yet, he hadn't. Maybe there had been a little love left in his heart after all. The memory of his final moments fluttered through his mind. When _Mother _and _Father _had been rushing at him, he had paused not because he was surprised that Chiyo was using them for her final attack, but because for one moment they had looked like his real parents, arms wide, ready to hug him. He smiled to himself and stole another glance at _Mother _and _Father. _It was best he left them there, undisturbed. He sighed again and rested his hand on his hip.

"What shall I do now?"

His hand curled into a fist and he felt the tell tale soft feeling of clothing brush his knuckles. _"What the...?"_ Sasori glanced down at himself and realized that he was dressed in a simple black shirt over a fishnet-undershirt, black pants made of the same luxurious fabric as the shirt, and normal back sandals.

"Why didn't I notice this earlier?" The bemused red-head muttered to himself. "Oh well, this really shouldn't surprise me. Things are only bound to get stranger."

He turned his attention to the entrance of the cave and decided it was time he was on his way. As he walked he took any useful weapon he might need. A few kunai here, several senbon there, and a medium sized katana with only a few scratches along the length of the blade that could easily be removed with a bit of polishing. He took one of the ruined cloaks off of one of the puppets around him and ripped it into long strips; he then braided the strips into a type of belt which he then used to store the weapons in. Sasori also removed on of the more presentable red cloaks from one of his former puppets and swung it onto his shoulders.

Once out of the cavern, he looked at the water before him and realized just how thirsty he really was. Sasori knelt down and scooped some of the cool water into his cupped hands. Once he was refreshed and had erased any remaining of thirst he crossed the water and continued on. When he was in the shade of the trees he stopped short. A memory had resurfaced. Outside of the forest-like area he was currently occupying was miles upon miles of desert. If he had still been a puppet he would not have been worried. But due to the fact that he was now very much alive and vulnerable to Mother Nature's merciless wrath...

"Shit." Sasori face-palmed, "How am I going to get across the desert? I have no way to carry water and I don't have any food. I'll most definitely die and I've only just been revived!" He stood there for a while trying to think of a way around his predicament.

Suddenly he heard rustling coming from behind him. He froze and listened. The sound of splashing water reached his ears. He turned around and approached the sound.

"Drink up you three. Won't be finding any water once we leave this oasis. It's a long ride to Suna." A muffled voice was heard as Sasori got closer and closer to the place he had only just recently left. Sasori looked through the leaves of a bush to see a brown-haired, middle aged man wearing civilian clothes and three camels. The man was refilling canteens while the animals were drinking the cool water.

"_He's going to Suna? Maybe this is just what I need." _Sasori pulled the cloak tighter around him so that the weapons were out of sight and readied himself. He stepped out from behind the bush and spoke.

"Excuse me sir, but did I hear correctly? Are you _really _traveling to Sunagakure?" As expected, the man jumped and whirled around. Sasori put on his best innocent face and smiled.

"Oh, young man! You surprised me there. Yeah, I'm heading to Suna. What of it?" He asked suspiciously.

Sasori decided that the truth would be best under these circumstances. Or at least something close to the truth. "I'm trying to get to Konohagakure. I've been away for a while and plan on surprising an old friend of mine." _"And surprised she will be." _He added mentally. Sasori didn't notice how blood seemed to rush to his face at the thought of the pinkette. But the man didn't miss this subconscious action.

"Oooh, a lady friend huh?" The man grinned, now relaxed and friendly. "I'll give you a lift. After Sunagakure I'm heading to Hato, a smaller village near Konoha so it'll be no problem, as long as you don't mind a short stop in Suna. Oh, I'm Rakuda Jōba by the way. And you are?"

One of the camels had wandered over to Sasori and was snuffling around his cloak in search of a snack. Sasori absentmindedly patted the animal's neck as he decided that the truth had worked thus far, so why stop now?

"Yes, we haven't seen each other in a while so she won't be expecting to see me again. I really appreciate your help," Sasori smiled here, "And I don't mind stopping. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Rakuda-san. I am Ikiteiru Sasori."

Rakuda Jōba shook Sasori's outstretched hand and spoke. "Please, call me Jōba. It's nice to meet you too Sasori-san. Hm, why does that name sound familiar?" They stopped shaking hands and stepped apart. Jōba rubbed the back of his head in thought while Sasori mentally cringed. Had his cover been blown already?

"Ah! That's it!" Jōba exclaimed suddenly. He turned around and faced the cave Sasori had exited not long ago. "Do you know what this place is, Sasori-san?"

Sasori relaxed and decided to play along. "No Jōba-san. What is it?"

"This is the exact cave where the late Lady Chiyo of Suna and Haruno Sakura of Konoha battled and defeated the Akatsuki member, Akasuna no Sasori, nearly two years ago! Sure is quite a coincidence that you're named Sasori as well." Jōba said, looking back at Sasori.

"Yes, quite." Sasori said. Then something occurred to him. "What happened after the battle?" Maybe he could be brought up to speed, so to speak.

"Well, if my knowledge is correct, I believe that after Lady Chiyo, Kami rest her soul, and Haruno-san defeated the villain they helped in the successful rescue of the fifth Kazekage's body from another member of the Akatsuki called Deidara." Jōba paused here and turned to Sasori. "I think he was killed some time ago too." Sasori nodded to himself. _"So Deidara is dead as well. I wonder if he went out with a 'bang' like he always said he would."_

Jōba took the nod as a sign to continue. "Once they had the Kazekage's body back, Lady Chiyo," He paused again, "She was an exceptional medical ninja, you see. Well, she performed a very powerful and amazing jutsu. She exchanged her life for the Kazekage's!" Jōba stopped, grinning broadly.

Sasori was awestruck. Chiyo-obāsan had used her transference technique on the Kazekage? He had figured she had passed on sometime after the battle, but he never imagined that she had left the earth so honorably.

"Amazing, huh? I didn't believe it the first time I heard it. But I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Kazekage one day when I was in Suna. I'm a traveling salesman by the way. I go from village to village, country to country, selling knickknacks and various objects that my family and I've made. Here I'll show you." Jōba beckoned Sasori over to a pile of saddle-bags, rugs, blankets, and a chest. "My wife and younger daughter do most of the cloth-work, while my son and I do almost everything else."

Sasori could tell that Jōba enjoyed talking about his family. He politely listened to the man, nodding every once in a while.

"What do you do for a living, Sasori-san?"

The red-head decided on part of the truth again.

"I'm a mercenary for hire basically. Both of my parents were shinobi and taught me well. I've been up north the past two years acting as a bodyguard for a wealthy feudal lord." Sasori was a little worried that Jōba would be taken aback by his occupation and would take back his offer for the ride. Fortunately he only seemed a bit surprised.

"Hm, you seem a little young to be a mercenary. How old are you?"

Sasori realized that he must still look younger than his actual age, so he took the age at which he had turned himself into a puppet and then added the years he had been dead, leaving out the time he was a puppet.

"I'm seventeen, Jōba-san."

"How do your parents feel about your profession?" Jōba asked a little concerned. Sasori's heart clenched at the mention of his parents. Still unfamiliar to such feelings, the pain in his chest hurt more than it would for others.

"My parents died when I was little." The red-head answered.

Jōba's eyes widened a bit. "Oh, I'm sorry Sasori-san." He comforted.

"It's alright. My grandmother took care of me after they passed away. I left home when I was fifteen. I just recently got word that she passed away. That's another reason why I'm going to Konohagakure." While he was speaking Sasori started to wonder when it had gotten so easy to tell the truth.

"Ah. Well, as I said before, you're welcomed to travel with me." Jōba smiled. The other two camels were now fully refreshed and were waiting patiently next to the cargo Jōba had shown Sasori.

Jōba noticed this and started loading the luggage onto the animals. Sasori moved to help him, the camel from earlier following close behind him. When they were done the chest, a rug, and a saddle-bag were packed onto the largest camel, the remaining saddle-bags and cloth-works were distributed between the other two camels. The camel that had been following Sasori never strayed far from his side.

"Looks like Funare has taken a liking to you. Strange, she doesn't usually take to strangers. Why don't you ride her? Have you ever ridden a camel before, Sasori-san?"

"Yes," Sasori answered with a nod, "I had often ridden them when I was younger." With practiced ease, Sasori swung up onto the rugs and blankets perched on Funare's hump. Once situated comfortably he looked over to Jōba, who was also seated on one of the camels. A rope leaded from the bridle of the camel carrying the chest was tied to one of saddle-bags on Jōba's camel.

"It will take about two days to get to Suna, then another three to Fire Country. So, let's get going." Sasori nodded and followed him as he entered the trees. It didn't take long before the grassy terrain turned into one of sand. They rode in silence, slowly swaying to the pace of the camels, until a thought came to Sasori.

"I don't mean to pry, but are you going to Suna to sell your merchandise? Or is there a different reason for your traveling there?"

"Oh! I didn't tell you, did I? My family had moved to Suna a short time after the Fifth Kazekage was stolen. So I'm mainly just stopping to unload, restock, and visit." Jōba answered with a broad grin.

"Ah." Sasori contemplated this new information. The red-head settle into the rugs and blankets beneath him and pulled the hood on his cloak over his head to protect himself from the merciless dessert sun. Jōba pulled a hat out from one of the saddle bags and placed it upon his head. He reaching into the other saddle-bag and withdrew a loaf of bread. He silently offered half to Sasori, who accepted it with a _"Thank you."_ It took just one bite for Sasori to realize just how hungry he actually was. He finished his half quickly and felt significantly better. He looked to the endless sand before him, patting Funare's neck every once in a while.

"_Suna is two days away. I'd better just get comfortable the best I can." _Funare turned her head to glance back at Sasori, as if reading his thoughts. He reached forward and patted her head. Something in the camel's eyes twinkled as she looked ahead of her once more. Sasori breathed out and sat back, once again marveling in the fact that he was alive.

He smiled to himself and looked up at the sapphire sky that stretched on infinitely. _"Maybe this life will be more meaningful."_

**::**

The two day's ride to Suna passed quickly with no problems. Sasori learned that Jōba and his wife, Haru, had been married for 22 years; his son, Hayai, would be seven soon; and that his daughter, Mebae, had just recently celebrated her third birthday. Jōba had found out that Sasori's hobby was making puppets. Thus, the brown haired man had given the red-head a medium-sized block of wood, a few screws, a bit of wire, and a knife. In almost no time Sasori had produced a puppet, much like the one that his grandmother had first shown him, out of the crude materials. He made the little faceless puppet walk across Funare's back a few times and Jōba was thoroughly impressed. It never occurred to the man that Ikiteiru Sasori was very similar in (presumed) personality and history to that of Akasuna no Sasori.

When they finally arrived at Suna, they had their first bout of trouble. The guards of the main gate were hesitant to let Sasori through when they learned that he didn't have any of the mandatory authorized papers. Jōba told the two that the red-head had spent the last two years up north. Sasori added that he had been robbed during his journey south.

"Well, I guess we can let you in. But no funny stuff, you hear me? We'll be watching you and the first moment you start any trouble we'll kick you out." The shinobi then begrudgedly let them through.

They were leading the camels through the dusty street on foot when Jōba turned to Sasori.

"You were robbed? That explains your lack of luggage. But why didn't you just stop the thieves? You could have easily done so." He asked, confused.

"They were just material possessions. I can always buy more clothes or make more money." Sasori offhandedly answered with a shrug. Jōba nodded to himself and left it at that. Meanwhile, Sasori was wondering to himself when he had become such a convincing liar.

Not long after, they were approaching a small building squished between two others. All of the buildings (there were quite a few) were lined up along the high wall that protected the hidden village. Two children were playing in front of the house. The smaller of the two looked up and saw the men first. She jumped up and started running to them. As she got closer Sasori realized that she had raven-black hair pulled into two low pigtails, dark purple eyes, and was wearing a deep green overall dress and simple sandals.

"Papa! Papa's home!" The little girl jumped into Jōba's arms when she was close enough. Jōba spun around in circles as soon as the girl was in his arm's hold.

"Mebae-chan! Papa is so happy to see you!" He exclaimed with a broad grin on his face.

"Mebae has missed Papa! Mebae doesn't want Papa to leave anymore!" The dark-haired girl buried her face in her father's shirt after this statement. The boy had now run up to them and was tugging on Jōba's shirt. "Papa! Papa! How was your trip? Did you bring me anything? Who is he? Are you leaving again soon? When will you be back? Did you meet any new people? Did you sell a lot? Is he your new friend? Is he going to stay with us? What's his name?"

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down Hayai! I can barely keep up!" Jōba said as he scooped his son up into his arms as well. The boy had the same hair color as his fathers (styling in a messy fashion), the same dark green eyes, and was wearing a tan shirt and black shorts. A woman had walked out of the house and was approaching them. As she got closer, Sasori realized that she was pregnant. The size of her stomach led him to believe that she was somewhere near six or seven months along.

"_Hm. Jōba-san never mentioned his wife being pregnant." _She had the same hair and eyes as her daughter. Her hair was pinned up in a bun on top of her head though. Her clothes were very similar to that of the original Suna robes. Sasori watched as she kissed Jōba on the cheek and welcomed him home. She noticed Sasori and smiled a homely smile.

"Who is this, Jōba-kun?" She asked as she took Mebae into her arms. Hayai, who had squirmed out of his father's hold and was now standing next to Jōba, was staring intently at Sasori. Mebae had buried her face into her mother's hair, taking shy glances at the red-head every once in a while. Jōba grinned widely and stood next to Sasori. He whacked him on the back in a friendly manner as he introduced the young man. Sasori nearly stumbled forward from the force of the 'pat' but smiled weakly anyways.

"This, Haru, is Ikiteiru Sasori! I met him in that oasis, you know the one I'm talking about, and he said he needed a ride to Konoha to visit a friend of his." Jōba winked and Haru caught on and smiled. "I'm leaving for Hato tomorrow so I can give him a ride that far. So Sasori-san is staying here for the night." Haru adjusted Mebae in her arms and smiled again.

"We are happy to have you stay with us, Sasori-san. Jōba-kun often meets people while traveling, so we are used to accommodating an extra person or two. Please, come inside and rest!" Sasori bowed in thanks and followed the family (with the exception of Jōba who went to put the camels into the building next to the house which was used as a stable) into the house. The adobe building was somewhat small, but it was very neat and organized. A homely feeling drifted through the house. Sasori pulled off the hood of his cloak once he was inside to look around better.

"Here Sasori-san! I'll put your cloak in the closet so you don't have to wear it all the time! Hayai exclaimed, speaking so quickly it was hard for Sasori to keep up. Nonetheless, he removed his cloak and handed it to the hyper boy. Sasori thanked Hayai as he ran to a door near the entrance of the house and hung the cloak up with the other various clothing articles already inside. He ran back to Sasori and noticed the katana hanging from the red-head's makeshift belt.

"Are you a ninja, Sasori-san? Do you have a lot of jutsu? Have you been a ninja for a long time? Have you been in a bunch of fights? Did you win all of them? Have you ever _died_?" Hayai asked, full of curiosity. The last question caught Sasori off guard, but he realized that it was just the boy's naivety showing.

"Hayai-chan! It's rude to ask so many questions." Came Haru's voice from the direction of what looked to be a kitchen. Hayai cringed and turned to the kitchen.

"Sorry Mama." He apologized. Hayai then turned back to Sasori, took his hand, and led him to the living room of the house. Sasori sat down on the couch when Hayai instructed so and watched as the boy jumped up onto the couch as well and plopped down next to him. Hayai looked back in the direction of his mother and leaned closer to Sasori. He put his hand next to his mouth to muffle the sound of his voice and whispered. "Are you though? Are you a ninja?"

Sasori sat back, crossed his arms, and allowed a mischievous smirk to crawl across his face. "I sure am, Hayai-kun."

The small boy gasped and leaned even closer. "Really? What type of jutsu do you do?"

Sasori looked from side to side as if making sure there was no one else around to hear him. He then leaned forward and cupped his hand around his mouth like the boy had done.

"I'm a puppet master. I can manipulate puppets with only my mind and motions of my fingers."

Hayai's jaw dropped as leaned so close to Sasori that he almost fell. "Really? That's so cool! Can you show me?" The boys voice dropped down to a whisper again as he asked the last question. Sasori smirked again and nodded. He walked back to the closet and opened the door. He reached into one of the inner pockets of the cloak and removed the small wooden puppet he had made on the way to Suna. He returned to the couch and attached almost invisible chakra strings to the puppet. Sasori made the puppet bow to the boy and dance its way across the couch and back. He smiled to himself as the puppet did an elegant twirl, balanced on one leg, placed its small wooden hands on the couch, and walked around on them. Sasori was completely in his element.

An ecstatic grin was on Hayai's face as he watched the puppet. He looked up at Sasori, his eyes twinkling in excitement. "You're so awesome Sasori-niisan! Can you make it do a backflip? What about a cartwheel? Can you, huh, can you?"

Sasori smiled as he nodded and made the puppet do as the boy requested. Inwardly, he was pondering why Hayai had called him _Niisan _.

Suddenly, Mebae was sitting next to Hayai, staring intently at the puppet. Sasori had to double-take, having not seen the little girl even exit the kitchen. He smirked at her awed expression and made the puppet approach her and bow. Mebae clapped and giggled, Hayai had turned around so that he could look at the puppet better. Sasori made the puppet put its hand out, still in its bowed position, and had it look up at the girl. Mebae extended her forefinger and shook hands with the puppet. The puppet suddenly sprang up onto the top of the couch's back and back-flipped until it was beside Sasori's head. The puppet bowed again, its arms extended behind it, and stepped into Sasori's hand.

Mebae and Hayai clapped as Sasori stood up and bowed for them, the puppet still in his hand doing the same.

"That was so cool, Sasori-niisan!" Hayai said as he jumped up and stood on the couch, hopping up and down. Mebae giggled and nodded enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Hayai-kun and Mebae-chan. I enjoyed performing for you two." Sasori said as he straitened up.

"Dinner time!" They heard Haru exclaim from the kitchen, "Come in you three! It's time to eat!" Hayai jumped off the couch and sped off to the kitchen while Mebae took Sasori's hand and led him in the same direction.

"Let's go Sasori-nii! Mama made a lot of food and Mebae is hungry!" The little girl said as she looked up at the red-head and grinned, a small blush dusting her cheeks. Sasori put on a serious face and nodded once, a small smirk quirking at his lips. Mebae giggled again and tugged at his hand.

As soon as Sasori entered the kitchen he was greeted with the wonderful aroma of cooked and seasoned food. Without his consent, his stomach growled and announced its hunger to the other three people. Sasori blushed and looked to the side, muttering apologies. Mebae giggled again and led him to one of the chair surrounding the table in the middle of the kitchen. Hayai hopped into the chair to the right of Sasori as Mebae crawled into the one on the red-head's left. Haru had just put down the last plate when Jōba walked in. He grinned at his wife and kissed her on the cheek. Once he and Haru had sat down they ate.

**::**

The dinner was delicious.

When they he was done eating Sasori sat back in his chair, completely stuffed. He could honestly say that he hadn't eaten a warm meal (like the one he had just consumed) _in years._ Memories of his mother's and Chiyo-obāsan's home cooking returned to him and his heart clenched.

After dinner, Haru approached Sasori.

"I'm sorry Sasori-san, but we don't have an extra bed for you. Will the couch be alright?" She asked, rubbing her pregnant belly.

"That would be fine, Haru-san." Sasori answered with a curt bow, "Thank you for allowing me to spend the night in your home. Haru giggled and waved her hand offhandedly.

"It's quite alright, Sasori-san. I'll get you some blankets and a pillow. Oh, and you can borrow one of Jōba-kun's old sleep yakutas."

That night, Sasori doubted he would be able to sleep. Thoughts were flowing through his head. Some of his parents, some of his grandmother, some of what had occurred recently.

But a majority seemed to be about the pink-haired kunoichi his now beating heart seemed set on seeing.

What was he going to do when he got to Konoha? He couldn't just walk up to Sakura and say:

"Hi there, Haruno Sakura. Remember me?"

No, he could very well imagine her reaction. And it would _definitely_ not be pleasant.

Suddenly, he had an idea. What if he slowly, and he meant _slowly_, 'reappear' to her? A certain jutsu came to mind. It was basically a genjutsu that would make Sakura have the same reoccurring dream. He wasn't so sure what the dream would _exactly _be about, but he knew that the genjutsu would make the caster appear in it. It wouldn't be until he was ready before Sakura would know it was _him_ in the dream...Now that he actually thought about it, the whole idea seemed kind of silly. But hey, he didn't have a better plan. The best he could do would to just wait around for a while and watch her, waiting for the best time to approach.

Sasori facepalmed.

"I'm in such deep shit."

**::**

Sometime during the night, Sasori _actually _fell asleep. It really surprised him when he woke up fully refreshed. He could remember the last time he had had such a good night's sleep. It would have been fantastic if his waking up hadn't been caused by Hayai jumping onto the couch and bouncing up and down, all the while yelling:

"Come on Sasori-niisan! Time to get up! Come on, come on, come on! Papa said that he's going to be leaving today!"

Sasori slowly cracked an eye open and looked at the hyper boy.

"Hayai-kun?" The red-head asked.

"Yes Sasori-niisan?"

"Could you please get off my legs? They're starting to go numb." Even _if _that was the best night's sleep he had had in years, Sasori was NOT a morning person.

Hayai grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. Nonetheless, he slid off the edge of the couch and ran off to his room to get dressed for the day. Sasori sat up, stretching his arms upward. He let out a happy sigh when his back popped. Feeling refreshed and kink-free, he noticed his clothes, folded into a nice stack, perched on the edge of the couch. He smiled to himself; Haru must have washed them for him. The clothes smelled of sandalwood and soap.

After he was changed, Sasori followed the smell of cooking food to the kitchen. Haru was just setting a plate of food down for Mebae when Sasori walked in. She looked up and smiled.

"I trust you slept soundly, Sasori-san?" The red-head smiled and nodded. Hayai ran into the kitchen and jumped into one of the chairs. Haru placed a plate of breakfast down in front of her son and kissed the top of his head. She motioned for Sasori to sit as well and fixed him a plate. Jōba walked in not long after, saying he had loaded up the camels and they were ready to leave at any time.

When everyone had eaten what Haru had made they went outside to say their farewells. Jōba and Sasori were seated on the camels they had ridden to Suna and were about to leave.

"I'll only be gone for a little while this time! When I get back we're going to take a much-needed vacation!" Jōba said to his family. Hayai jumped up and down excitedly while Mebae hugged her mother's legs.

"Be sure to visit us sometime, Sasori-san!" Haru said. "You're always welcomed here."

"Yeah! Come back and visit, Sasori-niisan!" Hayai exclaimed. Mebae nodded vigorously. Sasori smiled and nodded in answer.

"Don't worry, I will." They waved goodbye and were soon out of the village. The guards at the gate were different than the ones from the day before, but let them through with no problem.

The journey to Fire Country was much like the one to Suna, only a bit longer. When they were in Hato, Jōba and Sasori said their farewells to each other. Jōba had given Sasori some food and a canteen of water for his journey, as well as a few blankets.

"I have a friend in Konoha who runs an apartment complex. Her name is Kutsurogu Uchi, you can find her somewhere in the eastern part of the village. Just tell her I sent you, she'll give you a room for a decent price, maybe even free if she's in a good mood!" Sasori nodded and said his final goodbye. He patted Funare on the neck one last time, and left. His trip to Konohagakure would take only a day or two, but with his short patience he would probably cut that time in half.

Towards nightfall, he was attacked.

It was a group of about five bandits. They had appeared around him and formed a circle, chuckling to themselves. Obviously, they thought they had just struck lucky. Sasori smirked to himself as they drew closer. He hadn't been able to practice for a while; it would be nice to get some much needed training in before he reached Konoha.

"What are you smiling at?" One of the bandits exclaimed. The others withdrew weapons and the one who had first spoken threw a knife at Sasori. The red-head merely caught the knife and brought it to his face to examine it.

"Hm. Kink's in the blade, rusty handle," He slid his finger along the length of the knife. "Not sharp, at _all_." Sasori glanced up at the bandits with a raised eyebrow. "You five certainly don't know the value of keeping your weapons in shape. This couldn't cut butter, much less flesh." One growled and charged at Sasori, an oversized axe held above his head. Sasori sidestepped the man and swung his leg out, kicking his attackers legs out from underneath him. The axe-wielder landed on his back with an, _"Oof." _

Another let lose a battle-cry as he ran at Sasori as well.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" The man yelled. Before the man could blink, Sasori was holding his arm behind his back with a kunai to his neck.

"_That_, my friend, is classified information." Sasori was just about to slash the guy's neck open when that flicking sensation attacked his forehead.

"Oh, _come on!_" The bandits exchanged looks as the red-head suddenly stopped mid-swipe and started glaring at an unseen object.

"_You mean I can't kill this jerk? He would have done the same to me!" _The pain dug into his forehead even harder. _"He's just a worthless bandit! Oh, fine. You win." _The pain in his forehead immediately left him. Sasori twirled the kunai around his finger and put it away. He pushed the man away from him towards the group of on-looking bandits.

"I suggest you five leave. I'm in an unnaturally merciful mood today." The four in front of him scattered while the one Sasori had flipped onto the ground scrambled to catch up. Sasori ran a hand through his silky locks and sighed. How could he be a shinobi if he wasn't allowed to kill anyone? He snarled to himself and decided to find a place to set up camp for the night. He soon found a clearing with a small stream flowing through it. He slept under the stars that night. Or, at least, he _tried _to sleep.

"_You know, it makes me feel really uncomfortable talking to an unknown source of pain. How about I just call you Itami?" _Sasori paused here. _"Great, not only am I talking to something that _might not _exist, but now I'm _naming _it." _The pain, Itami, attacked his forehead suddenly then left just as quickly. Sasori rolled his eyes. _"So Itami it is."_

**::**

The next morning, Sasori awoke to the chirping of birds. It took him a moment to remember where he was, but when he did he relaxed. He stretched and got his blood pumping, deciding it was time to move. Rather than stick to the main road and chance another encounter, he took to the trees. Jumping from branch to branch, traveling the way only a shinobi could. He stopped and crouched in a tree on the outskirts of Konoha. He decided to just 'hop the wall' instead of going through the main gate.

Once safely inside, Sasori started wandering through the streets. _"Konoha's security certainly isn't 'top-notch'. This is just too easy." _Barely any of the people (both civilian and shinobi) spared him a second glance. After about an hour of wandering around, Sasori had to admit. Konoha was huge. He decided on just finding that lady Jōba had mentioned, and then look around for Sakura tomorrow.

The sun was setting by the time Sasori found Kutsurogu Uchi and her apartment complex. Uchi had been a little skeptic about letting him have a room at first, but when Sasori mentioned that he was friends with Rakuda Jōba she immediately brightened. In the end, Uchi gave Sasori a one bedroom, one bathroom, and small living room-kitchen combo for a decent price.

"Now Sasori-san, if there's anything you need, you be sure to ask right away. 'M kay?" The well-built woman said as she led him to the room.

"Yes, Kutsurogu-san." Sasori replied with a curt bow. Uchi laughed and waved his response off.

"Please, call me Uchi! Kutsurogu-san makes me feel so old." Sasori gave her a weak smile, and nodded. She stopped in front of one of the many red-painted doors.

"Here we are! Room 103." Uchi unlocked and walked into the room, Sasori following close behind.

"To the left we have the bathroom and the bedroom is right across from it. The living room and the kitchen combine to make the main room." Uchi said, pointing out the different rooms. Sasori nodded and looked around. The apartment was small but very neat and tidy. It reminded him of Jōba and Haru's house somewhat. A small smile crawled across his face.

"Well then, I'll leave you to get settled. I hope you enjoy your stay here, Sasori-san!" Uchi said as she left the apartment. Sasori thanked her again and went to unpack his few belongings.

**::**

The next day, Sasori was sitting in a tree in one of the Konoha training grounds. Thinking.

"_Now, where exactly would be the best place to try and find Sakura-san? It would be best if I keep her under my surveillance for a while until I am ready to appear to her." _The red-head thought to himself. _"What all do I know about her? She is a medical ninja, that is one of her most identifiable traits. Besides her hair color of course. But anyways, she is a medic, so she would most likely be at a hospital." _Sasori stood up from his perched spot. _"Now, where is Konoha's hospital?" _

Rather than waste his time wandering around Konoha or asking some passerby for directions (he'd rather not have to deal with curious strangers) he concentrated and sent out a small, unnoticeable, net of his chakra. Searching. He felt a large accumulation of both weak and strong chakra signatures. Focusing on this one spot, he picked around until he felt two familiar chakra signatures. He opened his eyes and smirked to himself. One of those signatures belonged to the pinkette he was seeking. He guessed that the other was one of the Konoha shinobi that had been with her when they were rescuing the Kazekage. Either the Kyūbi's container or the silver-haired shinobi that had followed the blonde after Deidara. The signature had been very powerful, almost sinister, so Sasori opted for the Kyūbi brat.

Traveling by foot on the street, Sasori made his way towards the general direction of the hospital. Only a few minutes later, he arrived at the large, white building. _"I guess this is it." _He thought to himself. The thing Sasori was about to do was something he never in a million years pictured himself doing.

He was going to sit a tree. Where he could see those around him, but they couldn't see him. Waiting. Until a pink-haired kunoichi who had assisted in his death exited her work-place.

What was the world coming to?

Maybe...Maybe he could just rush into the hospital, find Sakura-san, calmly assure her that he _wasn't _there to kill her and that he only wanted to talk, all the while holding a kunai to her throat to ensure that she didn't escape and/or attack.

Itami suddenly attacked his forehead. Drilling in so hard, Sasori actually gasped from the pain.

"_Damn it, Itami! That was a _joke! _Kami, I was _joking!_" _

The pain stopped, dug in for a moment, and then was gone. Sasori inwardly growled then sighed. _"Deidara never got my jokes either."_

**::**

Eventually, something worthwhile _did _happen.

Sasori had been staring at the entrance to the hospital for who knows how long, when a vaguely familiar shock of blonde hair exited. The red-head immediately straightened as the Kyūbi's jinchuriki, also known as Uzumaki Naruto, left the hospital. The blonde's arm was in a sling, but as Sasori watched, _Naruto _quickly glanced around him, removed his arm from the sling, and swiftly threw it into a garbage container. Naruto punched the arm into the air, but yelped and immediately brought it back down to cradle against his chest. Sasori inwardly chuckled at this sight.

Suddenly, Naruto stiffened. He slowly turned in a circle, eyes roving the landscape around him. His cerulean orbs passed over the tree Sasori was perched in, but then quickly backtracked. His gaze was pinned on the exact place Sasori was hidden. Sasori's eyes widened. His chakra was concealed so well, even

Chiyo-obāsan wouldn't have been able to locate him. How the hell was this _boy _able to sense him? What was he going to do if he was found? _"Shit, shit, shit. I came all this way, just to be captured and turned in? Goddammit. I haven't even _seen_ Sakura-san!"_

Naruto suddenly grinned. Sasori had to double-take. _"What?" _The blonde continued grinning as he turned and made his way down the street. Sasori's brows furrowed. _"What the hell just happened?" _He thought to incredulously. He didn't know, and probably would never know, why Naruto didn't alert someone. It was obvious the blonde had known he was there. Whatever the reason, Sasori found himself with a newfound respect for the Kyūbi jinchur-no, Uzumaki Naruto. Maybe this was why the blonde had evaded the Akatsuki and other villains for so long.

It wasn't until the sun had set and the street lamps were lit that Sakura exited the hospital. Sasori sat up and took in her appearance. She looked very much like she did two years ago, the only exceptions were that her hair was a little bit longer and she was more...filled out. The pinkette was looking down at a clipboard; reading over notes, dressed in what he assumed was the uniform of the hospital. Suddenly, Sakura looked to her left, then her right. She whirled around, eyes searching.

Sasori's eyebrow rose. _"Again? What is this? Sense Sasori Day?"_ Sakura's eyes flickered from side to side, then she turned around. Walking briskly, she headed for the South-Western part of the village. He stood up, inwardly groaning as his stiff muscles stretched. His eyes followed the pinkette, then he followed her himself. He kept to the shadows, freezing every time she looked over her shoulder or when she passed another person. In the end, she stopped at a decent-sized apartment building.

She fumbled for her keys, glancing over her shoulder every so often. From his spot in a tree near the building, Sasori was able to see the confusion and slight fear in her eyes. He suddenly felt the need to jump down there and tap her on the shoulder, just to see the different emotions he knew she would feel flash across her emerald orbs. He nearly did leave his hiding spot, but Itami stopped him. The pain drilling into his forehead seemed to say, _"Not yet." _Sasori paused, then nodded to himself, reluctantly crouching down once more.

Eventually, Sakura unlocked the door to her apartment and rushed inside. Sasori stayed outside the building for a few moments, thinking. _"Well, at least I know where she lives now. All I have to do is wait until I work up the guts to approach her." _

And that is exactly what Sasori did. For the next week and a half, he followed Sakura and spied on her. Whether she was training with the Hokage (her teacher and mother-figure, Sasori learned) or with her team, eating ramen with the Naruto boy at the shop called Ichiraku, and even while she was working at the hospital. Several times she would turn around or even fan out her chakra to search, but she never found him. After the first week went by, Sasori finally used the genjutsu on her. He could tell it was working, because when watched her through her bedroom window he would see her tossing and turning.

A few times, he had had sudden bursts of bravery and would sneak into her apartment. It occurred to Sasori that if anyone knew what he was doing they would take him for a stalker. He couldn't blame them. But with the feelings he was experiencing, Sasori's only way of responding was to follow Sakura-san around and spy on her. Even _if_ Chiyo-obāsan had brought him up the best she could, he had never really learned about certain emotions. Others would call it infatuation, obsession, or even pervertism. He called it curiosity and interest.

It never ceased to surprise him how he had been able to just sit around and _watch_ one kunoichi for an entire week and a half. Though, he had to admit, he had learned many things about the pinkette. Her best friends were two blondes, Uzumaki Naruto and Yamanaka Ino. She was dedicated to her job of healing others and saving lives. She absolutely hated it when people called her _Pinky _and would attack if someone did. But she had a kind heart and would usually heal the person afterwards. She cared about and loved children, she would often be found playing a game with them or teaching them. Sakura was also very popular, not only with her fellow shinobi, but with nearly all those who called Konoha home. Something seemed to flutter in Sasori's stomach every time he saw her, but he never quite figured out what it was.

Finally, after that week and a half, he decided it was time. In the dead of the night, Sasori snuck into her apartment and form a series of difficult hand-signs, finishing the genjutsu. He quickly left the apartment and hid himself. Eventually, Sakura woke up. She was panting and a cold-sweat coated her skin. Her eyes frantically darted around the room, wide and terrified. Sasori's head tilted to the side. _"What exactly had the genjutsu made her dream about? I know it involved me, by why does she look so distraught?"_

He continued to watch as she got out of her bed and headed for her front door. He followed her from her apartment, out of the village, and into a small grove. He recognized it as a place she often came to collect herbs. She stood there for a while. Sasori stayed at a distance, the crisp air of the night drifting around him. _"I can't just stand here all night. This is my only chance, it's now or never." _Sasori stepped forward and approached Sakura. He was about ten feet from her when he stepped on a twig. Sasori mentally cursed as the snap echoed through the night.

Sakura stiffened and whirled around. Her eyes went wide with terror, confusion, hatred, and then back to fear. Sasori felt his lips lifting for a smirk; she saw him and not a second after there go those emotions, flashing through her eyes.

"Y-you…h-how…w-hat…You-you died!" The pinkette managed to stutter out. Sasori had absolutely no idea what he was going to say, but it seemed his lips had a mind of their own tonight.

"Yes, amazing how things don't always go according to planned." He said, inwardly questioning where _that _had come from.

"Why are you here?" She yelled. Again, Sasori didn't know what to say, but, once again, his mouth answered on its own accord.

"Why am I here? Why for you of course." Scratch his previous question; where the _hell _had _**that **_come from?

She stiffened even further, her wide, fear-filled eyes darting from side to side then back to his face. "M-me? W-what?" Sakura stuttered, backing away from the red-head.

"I've come back for you. To claim you as mine." What the _hell _was going on? Where was all of this coming from? Claim her as his? Sasori was having an inner-meltdown, while his outside stayed the same, smirk placed upon his perfect lips.

"I will never be your puppet!" Sakura screamed, slamming her fist down onto the ground. The surface crumbled and Sasori fell with it. The pinkette took off towards the village, but Sasori didn't follow her.

"_That didn't go quite like I had pictured. She yelled at me and attacked/defended herself, yes, I guessed she would do that. But what in the world was _I _doing?" _Sasori picked himself up and rubbed his temples.

Suddenly, he felt a flash of chakra. Extremely familiar chakra. Chakra he hadn't felt in a long time. The owner of which should be dead. Sasori whirled around and saw a tremendously familiar blonde.

"Deidara." For the first time that night, the words that left his mouth were ones that he had chosen.

The blonde across from the red-head planted his hands on his hips and grinned. "Sasori, my man! So it _is _you!"

Sasori blinked a few times, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "Deidara? What are you doing here? I heard you were dead." He managed to say at last.

Deidara chuckled and shrugged. "You were dead too, weren't you? Anyways, un, I'll tell you my little story." Sasori approached him and they sat down under one of the large trees. Sasori vaguely noted that the blonde's hair wasn't done up in his signature pony-tail. Deidara's hair was a bit shorter, but still had part of it hanging over his right eye; the rest was pulled back in a pony-tail at the nape of his neck. Sasori beckoned for Deidara to start his story.

"Ok, un. So I was battling the younger Uchiha, Sasuke, and I had to admit, un, I was getting my ass kicked. Decided to use my trump card, you know what I'm talking about, un." Deidara said. "But for some reason, I decided to use a clone at the last minute, un. I high-tailed it out of there on one of my birds. Unfortunately, un, I was caught in the blast." Sasori's brow rose. "When I woke up, there was this old lady hovering over me, un. She said she had saved my life and healed me. She took me in and let me heal up until I decided to go. She said I was welcomed back anytime, and I took that to heart. I moved to Kiri and set up a sculpture shop there, un. I was on my way to visit the old lady when, for some reason, I had the sudden urge to come to Konoha, un. I never expected to see you here, Sasori!"

Sasori had to smile, he realized now that he had missed the obnoxious blonde. Deidara tilted his head to the side. "What's your story, un? Unlike me, you _were _dead." Sasori sat back and looked up at the starlit sky. "I honestly don't know what happened, Deidara. I woke up in that cave, _alive_."

Deidara's eyes widened a bit. He suddenly grabbed Sasori's arm and examined it, the mouths on his hands behaving themselves and not licking or biting Sasori. "Holy _fuck_, un. You're freaking _alive_!" Sasori rolled his eyes, didn't he _just_ say that? Deidara seemed to calm down and he motioned for Sasori to continue. In the end, Sasori told the blonde about everything that had happened from when he had woken up in the cave to the present time.

Deidara stood up and stretched. "Well, un, since I know that your alive, it makes me wonder." Sasori stood up as well looking at Deidara questioningly. "About what?" He asked.

"If any of the others have come back. As far as I know, un, they're all dead. But who knows, maybe someone else has come back to life too."

Sasori shrugged. Maybe, maybe not.

"Well," Deidara said, "It's about time I was on my way. See ya, Sasori." Deidara quickly made one of his signature clay-birds and jumped onto its back. It flew into the air a ways then stopped. Hovering, it turned to Sasori.

"Oh, hey, before I forget. My art's superior, un!" Sasori rolled his eyes, but played along. "Oh? How so?"

"You always said that art is eternal. You're proof that it isn't, un. You made yourself into a puppet, but then you died. And to add on even more, you came back to life! You were wrong, Sasori, un!" Sasori planted a hand on his and looked up at Deidara.

"You're right, I was wrong." Deidara's head whipped down to look at the red-head. "Now I realize that art isn't eternal nor is it fleeting, like you believe. I think art is the mystery of the world in which something is able to be one thing one moment then different the next. True art is how things change and grow and develop. Like you or me. We were supposed to die, but here we are. True art is a mystery."

Deidara was silent for a moment. "I think you might be right, Sasori." But then he grinned. "But I think I'll just stick to art being a blast. It's catchy you know?" Sasori rolled his eyes but smirked nonetheless.

Deidara pulled a bit of clay out of the pouch on his hip and started molding it. "Hey Sasori, you've got something real here." Sasori's eyebrows furrowed. _"What is he talking about?" _Deidara sent a clay butterfly down to Sasori. It fluttered down and landed in the red-head's palm and morphed into the shape of a blooming cherry blossom.

The blonde's last words echoed through Sasori's mind long after Deidara had flown away on his bird. _"Don't let it get away. Cherish it. Trust it. Protect it. Love it."_

**::**

Sasori spent the next week wandering around Fire Country, trying to figure out his feelings.

He felt something for Sakura, he knew that, but what was it? He had thought it was just interest, but now...

"_Deidara had said to love. Is that what I'm feeling for Sakura? Love?" _Something inside him fluttered at the thought of loving her, and her loving him. _"I guess so." _He thought to himself, a small smile crawling across his face.

He spent the sixth day in a small village not far from Konoha. He was walking around thinking to himself when someone suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Young man! Please come this way! I have just the thing for your special person!" Sasori turned around to see an elderly woman grinning up at him. For a moment, he thought the lady was his grandmother. She tugged at his arm and Sasori reluctantly followed, her words running across his mind. _"Special person?" _

The lady brought him inside a small building and led him towards the back of the shop. She rummaged around behind the counter and then released a victorious cry.

"Ah! Here we are!" She brought up a small package wrapped in burlap. She set it down on the counter and removed the cloth. When she was done, Sasori saw that the package was actually a small metal box.

"This is a music box, young man. I'm sure your lovely lady will love it indeed!" The woman wrapped it back up and handed it to him. "Here, take it."

Sasori tried to give it back to her. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I can't accept this." She grinned and refused to take it back.

"I'm giving it to you. Give it to your flower. Ah! Speaking of flowers, take this as well!" She pulled a small rosebud encased in a hardened serum out of her robe. Sasori's eyes furrowed.

"Why are you giving me these, ma'am?" The old lady cackled and shrugged.

"For some reason, I think you need them. Besides, you remind me of my grandson. He always had trouble admitting his real feelings to others. I can tell you have great love for someone, but don't know how to express it. These will hopefully help you!" Sasori was about to refuse the gifts again when Itami suddenly attacked his forehead, as if to say, _"Don't argue with her, just take them. You won't regret it." _He sighed and took the box and rosebud. The woman grinned.

"Good luck."

With a feeling of confusion, Sasori decided it was time to head back to Konoha. And talk to Sakura.

**::**

He was waiting outside of the hospital once again. He had no idea what he was going to say, but he felt that the same thing that had happened last time would happen again. Sasori decided he would just 'go with the flow'.

It was dark when Sakura finally trudged out of the hospital. A good distance away, she stopped. _"Here we go..."_

Sasori jumped to the ground and landed lightly in front of her.

"Hello Sakura. I'm back." He said, his lips pulling for a smirk. She started backing away, getting ready to run.

"Now, now Sakura. Why are you trying to run? You can't escape me." Sasori's hand reached out towards her and caressed her cheek. _"Well, that was unexpected." _He thought to himself. She suddenly turned and ran for the village gates. Sasori sighed and took off after her. She stopped in the same copse as before. Questioning his sanity, Sasori wrapped his arms around her waist and lowered his mouth to her ear.

"Gotcha." He whispered, mentally facepalming. The whole point of this was to _talk _to Sakura, _not_ play cat and mouse with her.

"I'm not going to become one of your puppets!" She said through clenched teeth. Inwardly, Sasori's eyebrow rose. _"She thinks I'm going to make her into a puppet?"_

"Who said anything about you becoming a puppet?" He smugly replied.

"W-what?" Was her stuttered answer.

"Why would I waste something so precious by turning it into a lifeless doll?" Those were his own words, not the ones his mouth formed. "You have something I could never give a puppet, Sakura." Sasori said as he turned her around to face him.

She looked up at him in question. "What?"

Sasori tilted his head to the side. "Emotions." He answered simply.

"Emotions only make a shinobi weak." She muttered grimly, looking down. Sasori's eyebrows furrowed.

"No." He said, angry that she would belittle one of the things he was so interested in about her. Sakura looked up at him in surprise, her lips parted with the need to question him.

"When you fought me that first time your eyes were like green fire, fueled by the very emotions of your being. That is what makes you strong. Your power, your speed, your knowledge, your abilities, your personality, you wouldn't have any of those without the emotions you express in everything you do." The words that flowed out of his mouth were ones that he chose and believed. Sakura stared up at him for a while after he stopped speaking.

"It is exactly that which I think has made me…fall in love with you." He then did the one thing he realized he had been wanting to do ever since he had woken up in the cave. He kissed her.

Her eyes went wide and only a few moments into the kiss, she passed out from all the stress she had been bottling up. He chuckled and scooped her up into his arms. Sasori took off for her apartment and then snuck inside, her sleeping self still cradled against chest. He laid her down on her bed and scouted her room for a piece of paper and a pen. When he found what he desired he wrote her a note.

_Dear Sakura,_

_I brought you home when you fainted after the kiss, heh. Don't worry; I didn't do anything to you while you were unconscious._

_I have…business to attend to elsewhere. But I will be back. The music box and its contents are a gift to you from me._

_Sincerely,  
Sasori_

_P.S. - I hope you enjoyed the kiss as much as I did._

He removed the music box from his cloak and put the rosebud inside it. He paused then wrote another note, wrapping it around the rosebud.

_I'll never turn you into a lifeless doll, but some things are best preserved._

Sasori placed the first note on her bedside table and put the music box on top of it. He did indeed have something he needed to do. Something he should have done much sooner.

Sasori turned to Sakura, bent down, and then kissed her forehead. He straightened and then left the apartment. He ran by his apartment and gathered his belongings, some food and water, and left a note for Uchi saying that he would be back in about a week. Sasori left the village and headed for Suna. It was time he visited Chiyo-obāsan.

Two days into his journey to Suna, Sasori was interrupted by a pitiful, heart wrenching sound. He followed the sound to find a dog. The dog was howling and licking its front leg. Upon further inspection, Sasori realized that the dog had a collar. _"Its owner must have left it here to die." _Sasori thought to himself, his heart clenching at the thought. He approached the dog and knelt down beside it. The dog looked up at him, whimpering, then shyly licked his hand. Sasori smiled down at the don and patted its head. Sasori found the dog-tag on the collar and read the dog's name.

"Yasashii? Is that your name, girl?" Yasashii licked his hand again and rested her muzzle on his leg. He gave her some water and some of his food. "Well, I cant just leave you here can I, Yasashii?" Sasori scooped the poor dog into his arms and returned to his journey. He arrived at Suna the next day and found an apartment for a decent price. Yasashii's leg was much better by then and she was able to walk around. She stuck to Sasori's side like glue. It was apparent she was just as attached to him as he to her.

She followed him to Suna's cemetery. Sasori seemed to know exactly where to go and was soon standing in front of his grandmother's grave. He knelt down beside it and let his fingers brush over her name.

"_Chiyo-obāsan? I have a feeling that you have been watching over me all this time. I just wanted to let you know that...I love you. I'm sorry that it took this long for me to admit it. Thank you Chiyo-obāsan. I'll miss you." _Yasashii nuzzled Sasori's side. He smiled down at her and patted her head. "Let's go, Yasashii. I want to show you off to Sakura-san."

**::**

_And it is done! 23 pages of pure Sasori-ness! This took me _way_ to long to finish. I kept starting and stopping, but I finally finished it! I hope you all enjoyed _**Ureshii Kekka to Akarui Mirai**_! This was _much _longer than _**Roze Tsubomi ken Ongaku kou**_, _**Roze **_was a mere 7 pages long, do the math._

_It's kind of my thing to give at least one character a pet in my stories...speaking of which, I kind of want to make a continuation of _**Ureshii Kekka to Akarui Mirai **_and _**Roze Tsubomi ken Ongaku kou**_. If I do it will be a real story, rather than an oneshot. _

_So if you guys want me to do the continuation, just say so! In a review of course._

_I hope you all enjoyed this oneshot!_

_You know that person who hangs around outside your grocery-store with an old-fashioned top hat turned upside down and a little cardboard sign that says _**"Reviews, please :)"**_?  
__Yeah, that's me. _

**::**


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